Kottayam: Just a few hours after the Met Department announced a respite from heavy rains, the weather has worsened in most parts of Kerala.
In a 10 pm update from the India Meteorological Department, 12 districts in Kerala are expected to receive moderate rainfall along with thunderstorms.
A few places in the districts of Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam, Pathanamthitta, Alappuzha, Idukki, Kottayam, Ernakulam, Thrissur, Malappuram, Kozhikode, Wayanad and Kannur are also expected to experience winds gusting upto 60kmph.
Heavy rains are being reported again in Wayanad district at Sulthan Bathery and Kalpetta. Athirappilly in Thrissur district is also receiving heavy rains with thunderstorm while Thiruvananthapuram and most other parts of the state remained overcast.
In the past few days, incessant rains had triggered a slew of landslides and flash floods inundating towns and leaving people in a swell of misery in parts of Kottayam and Idukki districts.
As many as 39 lives have been lost and six remain missing still. Over 200 houses were fully destroyed and 1,393 partially damaged in rain-related incidents.
Change in river water levels
The water level at Periyar that had shown a decreasing trend for the most part of Wednesday rose slightly by night.
The water levels measured at Kaladi, Mangalapuzha and Marthandavarma showed a 'rising' trend in the 10 pm update issued by the Ernakulam district collector.
Meanwhile, the Thrissur district collector issued a warning to those residing along the Chalakkudy River as the quantity of water being discharged from the Parambikulam Dam has been increased.
This could lead to the raising of the second sluice gate of the Peringalkuthu Dam, the collector informed via a social media post at 9 pm.
Earlier on the day, the Central Water Commission (CWC) had reported a drop in water levels in 27 of 38 major water bodies in the state.
Earlier in the day, after the heavy bout of rain that triggered a slew of landslides and flash floods in a couple of districts last weekend, a sunny day was generally witnessed in several parts of the state.
The IMD had withdrawn the orange alert indicating heavy to very heavy rainfall issued for three districts.
Eleven districts are currently under yellow alert. They are Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam, Pathanamthitta, Kottayam, Ernakulam, Idukki, Thrissur, Palakkad, Malappuram, Kozhikode, and Wayanad.
Orange alert has been issued for Pathanamthitta, Idukki and Kottayam on Thursday, October 21.
Yellow alert has been issued for the following districts in the coming days:
Oct 21: Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam, Ernakulam, Thrissur and Malappuram
Oct 22: Kottayam, Idukki, Malappuram and Kozhikode
Oct 23: Kottayam, Idukki, Malappuram, Kozhikode and Wayanad
Oct 24: Kottayam, Idukki, Malappuram, Kozhikode and Wayanad
The ban on fishing across Kerala coast anticipating harsh weather conditions has also been withdrawn. The Met Department also said that the Northeast Monsoon or Thulavarsham will arrive in Kerala on October 26.
Earlier, the IMD had sounded orange alert in as many as 11 districts on Wednesday and 12 districts on Thursday.
In light of the earlier prediction that rains will continue, the State had opened its dams to accommodate incoming water and pushed back the full-scale reopening of its colleges and institutions.
Emergency units comprising teams of the National Disaster Response Force (NDFC) and volunteering fisherfolks too were called into service to aid rescue efforts in the event of another calamity.
Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and the entire State machinery had been urging people to remain vigilant, especially those living along the banks of rivers and in areas prone to landslides.
The State had received unprecedented rainfall last weekend invoking dire memories from the tragedies of the 2018 and 2019 floods.